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Recipe Blog

LET FOOD BE THY MEDICINE AND MEDICINE BE THY FOOD

My wish for you is to Live Better, Strive Harder, Be Bolder, Dream Bigger, Climb Higher and Seek Greater.
My vision is to help people create food that is delicious, easy to make and high in nutrition,
so that food once more becomes a vehicle to fuel your body, mind and soul.

Tatsoi with sesame ginger dressing (GF, V)

By , August 11, 2024

‘For happy health, fuel yourself with greens and dreams’

Tatsoi is labelled, vitamin green for its nutrient profile. It is high in calcium and vitamin C as well as folate and iron.

The taste is in-between Bok Choy and spinach, and it cooks quickly. Some recipes call for blanching and ice bathing before stir frying, but I think this is over kill as the leaf quickly wilts as it cooks, and you want to retain some of its texture.

I serve this on its own as an accompanying green, or throw it in with some rice and protein, with a little hoisin to create a complete meal.

Ingredients

  • 12 oz Tatsoi
  • 2 tbsp. Tamari
  • 1 tsp. fresh grated ginger
  • 1 tsp. fresh crushed garlic
  • 1 tbsp. sesame seeds

Method

  • Clean the tatsoi and take off the bulb end (where the leaves join together)
  • Add 1 tbsp. EVOO to a deep pan, warm and when shimmering add the ginger and garlic for 10 seconds
  • Add the tatsoi and ¼ tsp. salt, mix and cover
  • Once the tatsoi is starting to wilt, mix add the tamari
  • Take off the heat, serve with sesame seeds sprinkled on top

Pear Chia Pudding (GF, V)

By , July 26, 2024

‘Breakfast is a love letter to your body’

This recipe is from Whole Food Cooking Every Day by Amy Chaplin.

This pudding is a low sugar chia pudding are quick and healthy treats. They are 100% fruit sweetened and can be varied with the seasonal produce. Strawberries in the spring, pears in the summer and berries or coconut in winter.

Chia seeds contain more omega-3 fatty acid than salmon, contain all 9 essential amino acids, are rich in antioxidants and are loaded with fiber supporting the gut microbiome.

Ingredients

  • 3 pears (ripe but not too soft)
  • ½ cup fresh orange juice
  • ¼ tsp. sea salt
  • ½ cup raw cashews (pre-soaked for 30 mins)
  • 2 tbsp. coconut butter
  • 6 tbsp. chia/basil seeds

Options:

  • Add some raw cacao to create a chocolate flavor, some nuts or cacao nibs for texture

Method

  • Peel, core and chop the pears
  • Place the pears, orange juice and salt in a small pan. Bring to a boil and then cover and lower heat for 8-10 mins until soft
  • Remove from the heat and allow to cool
  • Once cooled, added the mixture to an upright blender. Blend with the cashews and coconut butter.
  • Pour into a wide bowl, add the chia or basil seeds and mix with a whisk
  • Place in the fridge once cooled, whisk again in the morning
  • If you find the texture too thick for your taste, add a drop of plant milk
  • Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Bok Choy Soup (DF, GF)

By , July 20, 2024

‘Soup puts the heart at ease, calms down the violence of hunger, eliminates the tension of the day, and awakens and refines the appetite’ – Auguste Escoffier

This soup is very quick to make, the broth is flavourful, and you can swap your veggies depending on what you like. You can use chicken broth, to add protein and gut healing properties, or use a veggie stock to make this a purely vegetarian dish.

Bok Choy is a cruciferous vegetable, making it a prebiotic. I like it in soup versus other cruciferous vegetables, as its texture stands up better. It is nutritious with a wide array of vitamins and minerals. Bok Choy is an especially good source of vitamins C and K, as well as selenium. Bok Choy contains calcium, phosphorous, zinc, magnesium and vitamin K. Studies have shown benefits to heart health, bone health, gut health and anti-cancer benefits.

Best of all my mum loved this soup, which is its greatest benefit to my heart health.  

Ingredients

  • 18oz baby Bok Choy, quartered
  • 1 tbsp. toasted sesame oil
  • 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
  • 0.5oz thinly sliced ginger
  • ½ tsp. salt
  • 1oz dried shiitake (rehydrated) or 2oz fresh mushrooms
  • 1 tbsp. EVOO
  • 6 cups chicken broth
  • 1 tbsp. tamari (or more to taste)

Method

  • Slice the Bok Choy in half and half again. Rinse and clean under cold water and set aside to drain.
  • Preheat a medium pot, on low heat. Add the oil, ginger and garlic and salt, sauté for 30 seconds
  • Add the mushrooms and olive oil. Sauté for another 30 seconds.
  • Add the stock, bring to the boil and then down to a simmer. Let simmer for 5 minutes, add the tamari, taste the broth and adjust for seasoning.
  • Bring up the heat to medium and add the Bok Choy stem side down. Cook for 2 minutes like that and then submerge the rest of the Bok Choy into the soup.
  • Cook for another minute or so and serve
  • Sprinkle cut up scallions for garnish (optional)

Apricot Compote (DF, GF)

By , July 12, 2024

‘Everyone wants to pick the fruit, but first you must plant the tree’

This is a delicious compote. It can be eaten with oatmeal, yogurt, with cheese or on its own. It can be made with any stone fruit and is good for when you buy a large yield and it’s too hot to keep them all.

Apricots – These beautiful rays of summer sunshine are full of vitamins, antioxidants and fiber. They are rich in Vitamin C, Vitamin A and beta carotene.

Kudzu – This has been used in Eastern medicine for many years. It is also known as Japanese arrowroot and is used for treating many health conditions including fevers, diabetes and heart disease. For this recipe, we use it as a thickener.

Ingredients

  • 1.5lb apricots
  • ½ cup orange juice
  • ¼ tsp. pinch of sea salt
  • 1 tsp. kudzu powder
  • 2 tsp. filtered water
  • ½ tsp. vanilla extract

Options

  • Can use any stone fruit for this recipe, peaches, nectarines, plums or cherries work nicely

Method

  • Put the apricots, orange juice and salt in a pot
  • Heat the mixture to high heat and then down to a simmer
  • Cover the pot and cook until the fruit is soft, c. 10-12 minutes
  • Dissolve the kudzu with the 2 tsp. water (making a slurry), add to the pot
  • Stir in and keep on a low heat until thickened, stirring once in while
  • Once the mixture has thickened slightly, stir in the vanilla
  • Serve warm or at room temperature

Grilled Eggplant (GF, V)

By , June 20, 2024

‘Rub, smoke, repeat’

I love grilling, especially vegetables. You can change the texture and taste considerably and most vegetables stand up well on the grill.

Eggplants are one vegetable that to me taste better once grilled. It is easier to apply the high temperatures you need to get them to soften and cook all the way through.

This is a simple, lovely recipe that can be adapted for your favourite seasonings. If you don’t have fresh garlic, garlic powder works well too.

This dish is good eaten hot or cold, so double the recipe and keep some for the next day!

Ingredients

  • 2 eggplants
  • 2 tsp. salt plus ¼ tsp. salt
  • ½ cup EVOO
  • 3 garlic cloves
  • 2 tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped
  • 1 tbsp. dried oregano
  • ½ tsp. pepper

Method

  • Cut the eggplant into ¼ inch slices and salt with the 2 tsp. Place in a sieve and let the salt draw out water. After 15 minutes wipe each with a paper towel to remove the salt and moisture
  • Preheat a BBQ to a medium heat
  • In a dish combine the rest of the ingredients. Place the eggplant in the mixture, ensuring both sides are covered
  • Grill for 5-7 minutes or until tender, return to the olive oil mixture and then transfer to your serving plate
  • The eggplant can be eaten hot or cold

Easy Peasy Chocolate Bark

By , June 15, 2024

‘One bite is all it takes’

I made this for my mother-in-law in lieu of a birthday cake. This is because it is quick and doesn’t have many ingredients, as well as the fact that she LOVES chocolate.

This is a fun dish to make with kids as it is easy, and they can customize it to their own taste.

If you use dark chocolate, nuts, seeds and dried fruit, you could classify it as healthy. You might even add a sprinkle of salt flakes.

Dark Chocolate – A 100g bar of dark chocolate with 70-85% cocoa contains, 11g of fiber, 66% DV (daily value) of iron, 57% DV magnesium, 196% copper and 85% DV of manganese. In addition, there is plenty of potassium, zinc and selenium. Dark chocolate is loaded with bioactive antioxidants, including polyphenols and flavanols.

Ingredients

  • 12oz dark chocolate (70% plus)
  • ¾ cup raw nuts/seeds
  • ¼ cup dried fruit/pretzels

Method

  • Melt the chocolate in the microwave, stirring every 30 seconds. You can also use a heat-proof bowl set over a saucepan of gently simmering water (my preferred method)
  • Cover a baking tray with parchment
  • Once the chocolate is melted, pour it onto the paper, spread evenly and sprinkle on your chosen toppings
  • Place into the freezer for a minimum of 15 minutes
  • Take out and cut into triangle
  • This is tempered chocolate so shouldn’t melt at room temperature
  • Place in a storage box with parchment between each layer

Japchae (GF, Veg)

By , June 8, 2024

‘Fill your plate with the colours of the rainbow. What pleases the eye, pleases the body’

I wanted to try a new dish for my little, slowly integrating differentiated foods and was craving a good gluten free noodle dish. I cooked the veggies individually for little as he doesn’t like it when they are all mixed and spends a lot of time picking them out, but I’m never sure which one he will choose.

Japchae is a Korean dish, typically prepared with dangmyeon, a see-through noodle made of sweet potato starch, the noodles are mixed with assorted vegetables, meat and mushrooms and seasoned with soy sauce and sesame oil. Here I used tamari instead of soy sauce making the dish gluten free. Japchae literally translates to mixed vegetables, so I stayed true to the original and kept this as a vegetarian dish.

Little loved them so much, he slurped the whole bowl down.  

Ingredients

For the noodles

  • 4 ounces sweet potato noodles
  • 2 tbsp. tamari
  • 1 tbsp. toasted sesame oil
  • 1 tbsp. maple syrup

For the vegetables

  • 1 large egg (yolk only)
  • 10 shiitake mushrooms
  • 1 cup carrots, cut into matchsticks
  • 1 cup of broccoli cut into small florets
  • 1 cup of asparagus, cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 2 tbsp. tamari
  • 2 tbsp. maple syrup

Method

  • Add the sweet potato noodles to a pot of boiling water, mix every few minutes to stop them sticking. Let soak for 5-7 minutes or until soft. Drain and rinse in cold water to stop the cooking.
  • Add the tamari, sesame oil and maple syrup. Set aside.
  • Separate the egg to yolk only, add a dash of salt. Wisk. Add a little oil to the pan, add the egg and spread out. Switch the heat off, let cook for 1-minute and then flip. Let cool and cut into strips.
  • Next add a little oil and stir-fry the rest of the vegetables, adding the tamari and maple syrup. Cook until the vegetables are cooked through.
  • Mix into the noodles, with the egg and serve warm or cold.

Agua Fresca (DF, V)

By , May 29, 2024

‘If the ambiance is right, you’ll get high on a mocktail’

The term ‘Agua Fresca’ may be directly translated into fresh water, but that phrase does not fully convey the delicious nature of this drink. The origin of the drink dates to the Aztecs when it was made with seasonal fruits and flowers.

I found this in my favorite magazine, the Waitrose food magazine, a supermarket periodical that I ask my family to pick up for me to read. They always have interesting ways to use seasonal produce.

You can vary the sugar syrup to your taste. Mine came out a little darker as I used brown sugar. You could also make a sugar syrup with agave (I will do this in a fruit version soon).

From a health perspective this is a good way to get a concentrated amount of mint into your diet. Mint oil is known to improve digestion, it is used as a nature antibacterial and antiseptic. Mint has also known to have a positive effect on brain function, helping increase alertness and memory capabilities.

Ingredients

  • 150g caster sugar
  • 1 large cucumber (c. 500-600g)
  • 25g mint leaves
  • 50ml fresh lime juice (2-3 limes)
  • Ice to serve

Method

  • Put the sugar and 150ml water in a small pan, heat and let the sugar dissolve, 3 mins. Remove from the heat and let cool. This is your sugar syrup.
  • Peel the cucumber and cut into 2-inch cubes, add to the blender
  • Add the mint leaves (leaving a few for garnish). Blend until smooth, adding a little water if needed.
  • Strain through a sieve. Add the sugar syrup and lime

Clementine Zucchini Popsicle (DF, V)

By , May 25, 2024

‘Keep your face towards the sunshine – and the shadows will fall behind you’

This is a simple, delicious recipe. You can make it as a popsicle, sorbet or a smoothie. It’s sweet and the zucchini is so mild that you won’t taste it. It’s a great way of getting veggies into your little in the summer, without them quite noticing.

Yield: 12 medium popsicles

Ingredients

  • 5-6 clementines (roughly 1lb)
  • 1 whole zucchini, peeled
  • ¾ cup coconut milk, plus more if needed
  • ¼ cup maple syrup
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract

Method

  • Peel the clementines and separate into segments
  • Cut the zucchini into ½ inch pieces
  • Place both onto a parchment lined paper and freeze for 4 hours
  • Place the frozen segments into a food processor and process until crumbly, scrape the sides down
  • Add the coconut milk, maple syrup and vanilla and process until creamy, adding more coconut milk if needed to get a smooth texture
  • Transfer to your popsicle mold and freeze for at least 4 hours

Broccoli and asparagus soup (DF, V)

By , April 29, 2024

‘The deepest roots, never doubt spring will come’.

Spring has so many connotations. It is a time when the earth and our bodies wake up from the long winter dream. It is a time when everything comes back to life. This season in Ayurveda is associated with Kapha and heaviness. It is common for our bodies to struggle with transitioning from one season to another and for us to feel blocked and lethargic in the process. It is common to see seasonal allergies and colds rear their heads as the body awakes.

It is therefore helpful to be kind to our bodies. One way to do this is to eat nourishing, detoxifying, light foods. We often cook soups in the spring for that reason, although western cultures tend to associate this with winter.

This soup is full of tasty goodness. Broccoli, asparagus, and fennel are a great combination with none of the vegetables dominating the taste. If you are not vegetarian, you can consider using chicken broth instead of vegetable broth. If you are vegan, use EVOO instead of ghee.

If you’d like to make it creamier add taro (my preference from an ayurvedic standpoint) or potato. You could also add cashew, almond cream.

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp. ghee or EVOO
  • 1 fennel bulb (bottom, stem removed, small dice)
  • 3 garlic cloves, crushed.
  • 1-inch of ginger, grated
  • 1lb broccoli (rough chop)
  • 1lb asparagus (hard ends removed, rough chop)
  • 6 cups vegetable stock
  • 2 tbsp. lemon juice (optional)
  • ½ tsp. salt

Method

  • Heat a medium pot on a low heat and add the ghee.
  • When melted, add the garlic, ginger, fennel and a pinch of salt and cook on a low heat till the fennel starts to soften
  • Add the broccoli and asparagus and mix till coated in the olive oil, garlic mixture.
  • Add the stock. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer for 15 minutes.
  • After 15 minutes, the veggies will be soft. Remove from the heat.
  • Once cooled a little blend with an immersion blender.
  • Serve with herbs of your liking, black pepper/chilli flakes, a drizzle of olive oil and or some young feta or goat’s cheese.